N.Z. MANUFACTURES

Grey River Argus, 3 January 1940, Page 4

N.Z. MANUFACTURES

MINISTER’S REPLY. DUNEDIN. January 1. “My attention has been drawn to a press message from Dunedin concerning the manufacture of runner pro-

ducts and certain other goods, a number of which are already being made in New Zealand or for which substitutes in aiternat.ve materials are ,being produced in the Dominion, or tne importation oi which from the Umteci Kingdom is still perm.tted,” says « statement issued by the Minister for Industries and Commerce (the Hon D. G. Sullivan) in reply to complaints made by Mr Neii Mcßae, managing d. rector of Messrs Neil Mcßae and Company, Ltd., and promoter of a new company, Dolfite (N.Z.), Ltd. “The Government,” Mr Su divan said, “has given very serious consideration and much thought to the complaints. The proposals involve the allocation of a substantial amount of overseas funds, some of which represent dollars, which are so urgently required at the present time by the Imperial Government and her allies at present. Other more important industries already established in New Zealand have a prior right to sterling and other overseas funds to enable them to secure the necessary raw materials to carry on as effectively as possible. It is true that a licence fronv the Bureau of Industry, which Is under my administration, and under the Industrial Efficiency Act, to commence the manufacture or tne items proposed by the Dolfite company was not required for the reason that none of them came within the definition oi any industry licensed under that act: but a licence to import machinery and and materials must always be applied for in detail to the Customs Department, and cannot be procured by anyone. Moreover, the company did not receive any assurance that its application would be granted. “To sum up the position,” Mr Su'livan concluded, “the applicant fails to realise that a very essential point at the present time, owing to the heavy • demand on available sterling funds, is that the Government must necessarily give preference to industries already stablished in the Dominion; buf I hope the time will shortly arrive when the company’s application can be reconsidered,-as lam very keen to see new economic industries established, and will continue to do my best to help,”